Thanks, Noel. I should have pointed to that paper also. I have always considered the demarcation point when structures were added, but I darned if I knew at what date or time Dennis chose to rename it. Clearly, one day (night, more likely), he realized it nb was really not B anymore and needed a new name.

On Thu, May 8, 2025 at 10:04 AM Noel Chiappa <jnc@mercury.lcs.mit.edu> wrote:
    > From: Clem Cole

    > The first "C" compiler wa an ephemeral state some time in the process
    > of its evolution. Dennis started with his B implementation and began to
    > add features he needed

See:

  The Development of the C Language
  https://www.nokia.com/bell-labs/about/dennis-m-ritchie/chist.html

for detail on the evolution.

        Noel